Fueled (Driven Trilogy, #2)

by K. Bromberg

[Cocktails and Books]

I loved Driven. Both Colton and Rylee were character that you connected with for one reason or another, sometimes equally hating them while loving them. But there was a lot to Colton that we didn't know and I was anxious to see how he would redeem himself from the cliffhanger ending in DRIVEN. To say I have been knocked on my ass and turned into an emotional ball of goo by FUELED is an understatement.

I savored this book over three days, not wanting to let go of Rylee and Colton, despite some of the truly heartbreaking and anger evoking actions both of them took. Colton's horrific early childhood makes itself known in FUELED and becomes the crux of the issues between Rylee and Colton. Not the acts themselves or even some of the deeper scars they have left. But instead, Rylee's need to have some sort of validation to what she and Colton have in the form of those three little words, words he can't and won't ever be able to say, cause a lot of insecurity within Rylee and reduces her to throwing Colton's old method of easing his pain (in the form of any and/or every available woman) back in his face.

This is not an easy read. There is very little lightheartedness to the story, and often those instances of happiness end up being ruined by something one or both of them do. While I love Rylee, for who she is, what she's been through and what she does for broken boys that need to be shown they are worthy of love, she managed to amaze me at how unwilling she was to remove the blinders to some of the issues she had with Colton. Colton hasn't come right out and told her specifically what happened to him, she has a pretty good idea. She sees the signs and recognizes them in what she sees in her boys at The House. But she demands the one things from Colton that she can see he's not physically able to give because of that trauma. It would tear me up each time she would put a demand on Colton and him struggle with trying to be who she wants him to be versus who he's become in order to cope with everything.

Of course, it takes two to tango and Colton, being the man that he is, is forever messing things up. He doesn't do it on purpose, but when he's pushed, he reverts back to his old way. To something that worked at keeping him numb. He would realize what he did and beg for forgiveness later, but you could see that he truly struggled with what he was feeling, versus the demons from his past, versus who he wants to be for Riley. It doesn't always work out well, but you can see even when he's being stubborn and set in his way, he wants to try he just doesn't know if he can.

As with DRIVEN, FUELED has a cliffhanger ending that ate a whole in my stomach. It's still there. I can't even write everything that is still running through my head after I read the last 2 short chapters. My only solace, if there even is such a thing after that, is that CRASH will be coming. When? I hope soon, because I need to know that by the end of this series, Colton and Rylee get it together and find their somewhat bent happily ever after. Till then, I will nervously be waiting.